Report: Altidore Set For New England Revolution

It looks like Jozy Altidore is set to join the New England Revolution on a multi-year deal.

The 32-year-old striker has been set to leave Toronto FC for months, with the reds presently having three designated players on the books through Alejandro Pozuelo, Carlos Salcedo, and summertime addition Lorenzo Insigne.

The move was first broken by NBA insider Marc Stein and was quickly corroborated by Taylor Twellman, who states that Jozy’s move to New England has been in the works for months. Revolution coach Bruce Arena believes he can revitalized Altidore, who’s MLS career has seen him score 86 goals in 194 league appearances before injuries limited his influence over the last few seasons.

With Bob Bradley now at the helm, Toronto FC has been carving out large swaths of previous roster: Omar Gonzalez, Dom Dwyer, Marky Delgado, Yeferson Soteldo, and Liam Fraser have departed (among others), with Richie Laryea also completing a move to Nottingham Forest.

Altidore’s last season with Toronto FC saw the striker collect just 967 minutes of action in nineteen appearances, with former head coach Chris Armas having dropped him from the team following an icy disagreement between the two.

Altidore returned under the helm of Javier Perez, but then found himself sidelined by a foot injury for two months – far from the first time injuries have kept the designated player sidelined for significant amounts of time. Still, his eventual return was highlighted by a last-gasp goal that ultimately proved to keep CF Montreal out of the playoffs, and a go-ahead goal against Pacific FC in the Canadian Championship semi-final.

Altidore – who’s current contract with Toronto FC runs through the 2022 MLS season – has been negotiating a buyout with TFC over the last several months. MLS clubs are permitted one buyout each offseason that doesn’t hit the cap, and it appears likely that this has been wrapped behind the scenes to free him up for the move to New England.

It looks like the US striker will arrive on a TAM-or-under deal with Revs, who already have three designed players in Carles Gil, Gustavo Bou, and Adam Buksa. It will mark Altidore’s third MLS club after the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC.

The former US international also spent spells with Villareal, AZ Alkmaar, and Sunderland before arriving to Toronto FC in a move that involved a player swap for Jermain Defoe.

While the exit has been a long time coming, Altidore has been a significant player in TFC history: he’s contributed 79 goals in 173 appearances for TFC, scoring the go-ahead goal during the club’s first-ever MLS Championship win over the Seattle Sounders in 2017.

He won’t be the only player swapping BMO Field for Gillette Stadium, with Omar Gonzalez having also joined the Revolution as a free agent in December.